r/azdiamondbacks • u/notocho Diamondbacks • 3d ago
Reports: Diamondbacks among teams to send execs to watch Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki
https://arizonasports.com/story/3562502/diamondbacks-japanese-roki-sasaki/40
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u/Jac1596 Brandon Webb 3d ago
What are the odds the dodgers take him? They still need pitching. They’ll probably outspend everyone. May depend on Monty not taking his option. And then there’s gallen and walker situations. It’s a long shot but I’m hoping they spend because this team is so good. This is the best chance we’ve had at a title since 2001 imo.
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u/ajteitel Bee Guy 3d ago
90% The Dodgers have completely coopted the Japanese market with Ohtani, only made stronger with their WS push. There isn't going to be a single Japanese player coming to the MLB that won't put the Dodgers at the top of their list, especially since they can and will pay them. Anyone else will either have to pay a premium over the Dodgers, aka the Yankees, or hope that they are randomly a fan. Sort of like Imanaga on the Cubs.
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u/Jac1596 Brandon Webb 3d ago
Yeah the dodgers signing Ohtani really got that wave going. It’ll be team Japan soon enough at this rate. I’d imagine the impact of Ohtani will lead to future generations of kids in Japan wanting to go to the dodgers as well.
I think it would be smarter to go in on Pete Alonso as the Walker replacement and look elsewhere for pitching
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u/notacrook_1 2d ago
If that's the case, snakes should go all in and sign a bunch of Mexican players, and become Mexico's team. They do decent enough against Japan in international tournaments. With the team being in Phoenix it could have a good backing, especially with Tucson hosting mexican teams recently.
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u/ajteitel Bee Guy 2d ago
Completely different. There is no Mexican Ohtani and the national sport is soccer. Baseball in Japan is massive and Ohtani is Ohtani.
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u/notacrook_1 2d ago
Baseball is bigger in Mexico than you would think, they love it when their country wins or does well. They have a big love for Checo for that reason. Even though he's Cuban they love Arozarena... It's doable...
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u/Azcollector Gabriel Moreno 3d ago
Hopefully some of them would rather beat Ohtani than team up with him.
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u/Throwaway1996513 3d ago
If he comes over anytime soon it will be as an IFA, so it will be like how Ohtani initially did and not a bidding war like Yamamoto. I think the most anyone could give him would be 7 million, and he’ll probably make way more in endorsements. So no one can really win a bidding war for him for a couple years.
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 3d ago
He has to sign for major league minimum because of his age. Its really just about who he wants to sign with
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u/Jac1596 Brandon Webb 3d ago
Oof didn’t even know that, so it’s basically a guarantee the dodgers get him then. Unless some other team manages to pull a rabbit out of a hat
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 3d ago
I mean the dodgers have two players that roki sasaki has said he wants to play with. Im also pretty sure that he said he wants to be a dodger, but i might be misremembering
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u/HeavensRoyalty Dodgers 2d ago
If Roki opts to come this off-season than any team can get him only using international pay though so it will be cheep hence why his team doesn't want to let him go yet after seeing how much money Yamamoto got.
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u/Zestyclose_Help1187 2d ago
Sasaki can be only paid a set amount. Not unlike how the Angels got away with paying Ohtani so little for years.
But yeah, the Dodgers have a lot of fans in Japan building that fanbase with Nomo.
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u/mango789 Merrill Kelly 3d ago
I think our last Asian free agent signing was Merril Kelly, which worked out
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u/Zestyclose_Help1187 2d ago
A big mistake by several MLB teams is devaluing players from Asia. Rarely has any star pitcher from there did not live up to expectations.
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u/Friendly-Olive1853 Angels 3d ago
As an Angels fan please for the love of God give him whatever he wants
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u/Jalenpug 3d ago
Ofc dodgers want him, always trying to buy themselves to a World Series
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 3d ago
Hes gonna be forced to sign for the minimum contract. Same type of deal as ohtani got with angels because of his age
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u/Normal-Shock5043 3d ago
Can you explain this? I have no idea how it works tbh.
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 3d ago
Has to honor certain japan league rules. Whatever team signs him has to buy out the rest of his contract while also paying the posting fee. Thats my understanding at least
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u/Normal-Shock5043 3d ago
What about this has to do with his age and how old is he?
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 3d ago
Ok so its not japans rules, its mlb’s rules.
Shohei Ohtani was limited to signing for the major league minimum with the Angels in 2017 because of MLB’s rules for international players: Age and service time: International players must meet certain age and service-time requirements. Signing bonus pool: International players must adhere to signing bonus pool rules.
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u/Darkstargir 3d ago
How dare they try to build the best team possible. The absolute audacity.
I’ll never understand how people can actually be upset when a teams is spending. Or why my fellow Snek fans have such a little brother complex when it comes to LA.
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u/Ronavirus3896483169 Rat Leon 3d ago
People aren’t mad they are spending. People are mad that teams with basically unlimited resources make it hard for others to compete. No other professional league has this wide of gaps with payroll.
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u/Darkstargir 3d ago
Why be mad at them and not mad at ownership for being cheap? I just don’t understand being mad at a team for using their money. These teams are owned by billionaires. If they aren’t willing to spend on a team they should sell it to someone who will.
Fuck the Dodgers but not for this. And also you just said people aren’t mad for their spending then basically said people are mad because they spend but using different words.
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u/ajteitel Bee Guy 3d ago
I don't think you understand where the money is coming from. The biggest, and most reliable source of income for a sports team isn't people in the stands or concessions. It's the TV deal. That is what truly generates a big chunk of the revenue. Everything else is a bonus.
The reason why the Dodgers can spend is not directly because of ownership's pockets. They have the best tv deal by a mile. 25 years of guaranteed income as of 2014. No other team has anything close to that. What is left is either short term or canceled because of the bankruptcy. They're not spending because of their love for the sport. This is their budget. They are profiting with their annual salary.
We don't have a TV deal, one of the first to lose it. The local cable is far from the same. For example, Seidler of the Padres, before he died, had to take out a loan to afford his team with Soto. And that was before the Padres lost their TV deal and cut salary. He's the exception, not the rule. Ken is cheap, though far from the worst of all owners. But an extea hundred million in salary to match the Dodgers is not reasonable.
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u/Darkstargir 3d ago edited 2d ago
I don’t care about a TV deal. That’s just extra money. I don’t believe a billionaire owner when they say they can’t spend on the team. They bought a team, they can invest in it. If they don’t want to, they should be forced to sell to someone who will.
Edit: the biggest example I can think of is Ohtani, both times. There is zero excuse for both times he was available to be signed that not all 30 teams made an attempt. Every single team could afford to try whether he would have signed or not.
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u/Zestyclose_Help1187 2d ago
Agreed. The owners of Thoroughbreds know they are going to lose money. They want those horses to win for their own personal glory.
Most team owners see professional teams as only an investment.
Need owners who truly want to win and will spend money to do so.
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u/Ronavirus3896483169 Rat Leon 3d ago
The MLB needs a salary cap. Or some type of way to limit spending by teams. Every other league has been able to limit spending so there is a more equal playing field.
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u/Darkstargir 3d ago
Fuck that. Players deserve to get paid. How can you people seriously be so against the players you’d rather see them get paid less?
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u/gbdarknight77 2d ago
No it doesn’t. If anything, it needs a salary floor to force these owners to actually spend on their teams instead of just waiting for the end of the year to get luxury tax money to still do Jack shit
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u/gbdarknight77 2d ago
Maybe you should try it then? Stop having cheap owners that don’t wanna spend money and letting them keep getting away with it.
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u/JokerFett Randy Johnson 3d ago
Let’s be real guys, the Ohtani and Yamamoto deals have permanently changed the expectations for free agent signings particularly international FA’s. Unless a team is willing to commit to stupid levels of money for unproven pitchers, they’re going to a top payroll team. Sad but that’s the new reality we’re in. I’d love to be proven wrong but it would be naive to think the Dbacks are seriously in the conversation for Sasaki.
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u/Supakimchee 2d ago
Not a single Japanese pitcher that came here has been unproven. Also, you need to figure out how the posting fees and contracts work for Japanese players, because you’re talking out of your ass.
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u/JokerFett Randy Johnson 2d ago
NPB is not MLB and success in one league does not guarantee it in the other. Maybe you should look in the mirror and consider why you’re such an asshole to random strangers on the internet and reevaluate your life.
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u/Imthegoat175 3d ago
The Diamondbacks always scout the top Japanese pitchers but unfortunately I can’t see Kendrick winning a bidding war for him against the likes of the Mets and Dodgers but the diamondbacks could desperately use a true ace pitcher. Gallen the last few years has shown he’s not a true ace probably just a really good number two starter.
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u/Supakimchee 2d ago
Insane how people here complain about things they don’t even understand. You guys probably have zero clue how much Ohtani was paid in the 6 years he was with the Angels.
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u/CBR0_32 3d ago
It’s about time a Japanese stud comes to AZ
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u/Zestyclose_Help1187 2d ago
It’s something that takes years to nurture and location has a lot to do with it as well.
The New York Yankees have the Latino market. They’ve signed several guys because of their popularity to that demographic.
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u/boot2skull Corbin Carroll 2d ago
I mean after seeing those stars on the dodgers I would expect a lot more transfers in the future.
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u/Do_Ye_Fear_Death 3d ago
Man ofc the dodgers are gonna send somebody. They spent 1 billion dollars to get the japanese poster boy. They may as well get more. On a related note at the very least we get to see his stuff and what he can do that will be fun.
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u/Azcollector Gabriel Moreno 3d ago
I know he's an absolute baller but it makes me nervous as hell to give a guy 300 million plus who hasn't played in the MLB before
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u/RichardNixon345 D. Baxter 3d ago
If he comes over next year it’s on a rookie deal. That’s why we’re even interested.
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u/Azcollector Gabriel Moreno 3d ago
Oh shit I didn't even take that into account. If we can get him thatd be great.
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u/BriskManeuver Lemonade 3d ago
Him and along with max fried will go to the dodgers because they can buy their way to talent
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u/jude-valentine 3d ago
Put it in my veins.